Page 16 of Kingdom of Faewood

I’d have to find another way.

Only minutes later, I was back to where I’d woken up with no solid plan in place, but as promised, near the disassembled tent I’d slept in, waited a plate with a wide slice of bread, a wedge of cheese, and a cup of water.

“Eat.” Jax gestured to the food, then left to join Phillen and the other males.

Sighing, I did as he said, or tried to, but when I leaneddown to grab the plate, my gown’s tight corset stopped me and pinched off my breath.

Grumbling, I straightened and rubbed my sore ribs.

“Excuse me?” I called to the six of them. “Do you by chance have a new gown for me? This one is quite heavy and cumbersome. Perhaps you have something less bulky that will make walking easier?”

One of the males, the one who had been farther back in the group initially, eyed me. Brown eyebrows and dark-brown skin were visible in the slit between his mask and scarf.

So there aretwobrunettes in this group.The male beside him remained quiet but had red eyebrows.And a true redhead as well apparently.

“We don’t,” Jax replied gruffly. “But don’t worry, you won’t have to walk.”

“I won’t?”

Jax shook his head. “No, you’ll ride. I can get you a change of clothes after we’re out of your kingdom. Two days at the most. You’ll have to wear that gown until then.”

I frowned.We’ll be out of Faewood Kingdom within two days? Goddess Above, how far have we gone?

But then his words hit me. We were riding out of here, yet there were nodomals, but if I remembered correctly, Jax had said the same thing when we’d been in the tent. And there’d been the sound of hoofbeats last night when they’d abducted me. But there weren’t any domals anywhere.

I held my hands up in question. “What in the realm am I to ride?”

Jax hooked his thumb toward Phillen. “Him. He drew the short straw.”

My lips parted, and annoyance flared through me. “You want me to ride your friend? Is that to be done in some kind of perverted stunt?”

A few of the males outright snorted, and I could have sworn a sly smile lifted Jax’s lips from the way his eyes crinkled even more. “It’s no joke, Little Lorafin. You’ll ride him, but not in the way you’re suggesting.”

Before I could ask anything further, a flash of magic cut through the clearing, and Phillen’s fae form disappeared.

The creature that stood before me made all hopes of delaying my captors’ journey die a thousand times over. Now I knew what I was going to ride.

And there was no way Guardian Alleron would ever catch up to me.

CHAPTER 5

“You’rebrommel stagshifters?” My jaw dropped.

“What gave it away?” the lean, blond male replied dryly.

My mind raced. Animal shifters commonly hailed from Stonewild Kingdom, the kingdom north of us. That possibly meant Jax was from Stonewild. What the kingsfae would give to have that knowledge. As far as I knew, nobody knew what kingdom the Dark Raider came from, although I’d once heard that some thought he was from Mistvale. But that was likely a rumor.

The huge stag that stood before me—Phillen in his shifted form—snorted and pawed at the ground. He washuge. His shoulders easily reached five feet, and his large head rose a good three feet above that. And considering his chuffing noises, I would have bet that the brawny male was laughing at me.

As if to mock my surprise, magic flashed around the otherfour males, and before I could blink,fivebrommel stags stood beside Jax.

They were all different colors. Two brown, one deep golden, one auburn, and the last a true red. Their colors obviously coincided with their natural fae hair shades. Each stood tall with broad chests that had thicker, denser, and darker colored hair compared to the rest of their bodies. Powerful haunches hinted at their superior running capabilities, and puffs of dense magic filled the air around them. Impressive antler racks stretched wide and high from each male’s head. They were so big they nearly tangled in the vines that wove and dipped through the Wood’s canopy.

Yet no remains of clothing fluttered to the forest floor. Their black disguises had disappeared entirely, making me think their shifter magic concealed it or perhaps stored their clothes somewhere I couldn’t see.

Whatever the case, my shoulders fell.Goddess, I shall never be rescued.

Brommel stags were some of the fastest creatures in the realm. A naturally born brommel stag, a true animal and not a fae shifter, was known for its speed and ability to outrun any other animal. Most fae who tried to hunt them could never catch one. Not even the Nolus, Lochen, and Solis fae had developed a reliable way to ensnare brommel stags, and only those truly gifted with magic had ever been able to take one down.

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